New York – subway map, tickets and how not to get lost?

For the impatient

If you're just looking for a subway map, you can skip reading. Here's a link to a downloadable New York subway map:

download: New York subway map – [click]

The above map comes from an official source, i.e. MTA company website (Metropolitan Transportation Authority), the New York City subway operator.

For the prudent

The subway map alone probably won't be enough, and most of the impatient readers who finished reading this text by downloading the map will come back here and read the rest of it. Why? Because using the New York subway is neither easy nor intuitive!
I encourage you to read the rest of the post, in which I explain the specifics of how the New York subway works and how to move smoothly and flawlessly on the subway. no need for a subway map!

How does the New York subway work?

There is some good news and some bad news in this case. First the good news!
Firstly, the New York subway runs 24 hours a day, without any interruptions (there are only three such networks in the world). Yes, yes! There are no interruptions in the functioning of the metro, so you can move freely around the city 24 hours a day.

Now the bad news, but don't worry. We'll deal with it!
The New York City subway is very old (the first line opened in 1904) and therefore its organization is somewhat archaic. This mainly concerns the entrances connecting the surface with the underground platforms.
If you've ever used the metro in other cities, you'll know more or less how it's usually organized. First, you go underground, then, following the signs, you head through the corridors toward the appropriate line and platform at the metro station. In New York City this is largely not the case! Here, a specific subway entrance directs you to a specific platform and that's it! So it doesn't matter which entrance on the street you enter. Underground, there is no network of corridors that can take you to the platform appropriate for your direction of travel. The decision of which entrance you should go to must be made on the ground., and the selected exit will take you to a specific platform, in a specific direction of travel. A mistake in choosing the right entrance will result in having to exit the station to the surface again and look for the correct entrance. It is worth remembering that each entry to the metro involves the need to pay for a ticket, and the fee paid for the mistaken entry cannot be reversed.

As if that wasn't enough, the entrances on the surface of the earth are very similar to each other, often practically identical, and at one intersection there can even be several of them. How do you know which entrance to enter? Someone will say that from the descriptions at the entrance... but after a few days in New York I decided to check whether without the support of a suitable tool (which I will write more about in a moment) I would be able to choose the right entrance on the surface? And what? And unfortunately it didn't work out 🙂 I would have gone in a different direction than I should have. It's all because of the descriptions that are placed at the subway entrances. There is no systematic way to keep them. I often had the impression that there are customary descriptions and there is no order to it all that we are used to. Sometimes the description sounds like this, and sometimes like that... because it all depends on the starting point. I often had the impression that the description at the station is like that because that's how it is said in this district and that's it 🙂 Besides, if you are in Uptown and you enter the station with a description of the direction to Uptown, where will you go?
There is one more detail. Some metro lines are express lines and do not stop at selected stations. They run on the same track as other lines, but each of them stops at different stations. These lines are often the same color, but they differ in letter (or number) marking. And now the question arises how do I know at which stations the "green 4" stops, and at which the "green 5" and "green 6" stop. In addition, there is also the "green 6" with a circle marking and the "green 6" with a diamond marking.
I will also add the example of the “gray S” line. In New York there are three lines with the same designation “gray S” and each has a different route, although they overlap on some part of the route…

Help!!!

Massacre? Yes! For someone who is not familiar with this situation, it may be slightly disorienting, but in practice (surprisingly!) it somehow works. In this situation, conducting an analysis of the functioning of the New York subway lines is a waste of time and does not make sense for our needs. We only need the subway for a few days and we do not need to delve so deeply into its topography and operation.

So how do you effectively navigate the subway without going crazy choosing the right entrance, line and stop? Just like New Yorkers! Once you're in New York, you'll see how many people use from your phone's navigation suggestions. It's just that at every step someone looks into the satnav and checks what and how. Even a guy in a suit with a briefcase, who seems to drive this way to work every day, checks something in the satnav. It must be said that this is indeed the best, reliable and comfortable way to get around the city without any mistakes. By the way, it corresponds perfectly with my guide, because for each attraction described you will find precise GPS coordinates locating its location!!! Ha! Bingo!!!

Subway navigation – use GPS coordinates!

As I mentioned, I provide precise GPS coordinates for each attraction. This may not seem particularly useful at first glance, but in practice it is the exact opposite!
How to use this data? It's ridiculously simple and devilishly effective. Just click on the link next to the coordinates. Then your phone's navigation will open and automatically plot the path to your destination from where you currently are.

Example:
Let's assume you're in Midtown Manhattan, somewhere near Times Square, and you want to get to Staten Island, where ferries leave for the Statue of Liberty. What do you do?
You look in my guide for a point with a description of ferries to the Statue of Liberty and click on the link with the GPS coordinates. Google navigation opens on your phone and maps out a route to your destination. On your phone, it looks something like this:

In my case (since I use this navigation in my car every day), the map has mapped out the route for my car. So I have to click on the tram icon (the symbol of public transport) so that the map can map out the route for my public transport.
After clicking on the public transport symbol, the map will provide several travel options and highlight the most advantageous one on the map.

You can expand the card with travel suggestions by dragging it up, and then more suggestions will appear.

We click on the suggestion that suits us best. I chose the first one from the top, i.e. metro ride, line “red 1”. After clicking on this option, the navigation displayed a detailed map of the route, with all the stops marked, and a detailed step-by-step description appeared under the map.

As you can see in the image above, the navigation first shows us a specific metro entrance, so that we can go straight to the appropriate metro station platform. The card with descriptions can be further expanded by sliding it up, and then we will gain access to very important data:

The description precisely states which entrance to the metro you should use and what signs to follow. These are exactly the same descriptions you will see on the direction signs at the metro station. If there is a double platform at the metro station, where trains going in opposite directions will stop on both sides of the platform, then in this case, according to the description, you must board the train stopping on the side described as Downtown Local 1 2

Notice the arrow with the number (4). It indicates something very useful: the list of stops. By clicking here you can expand the list of metro stops that you need to pass through and check if the stop actually appears outside the window according to the visible list. If so, then you know that you are going in the right direction and you can sit down and wait for your destination stop.

The map above the description card can be enlarged, displaying more precisely our location on the screen, as well as the location of the place we need to get to. This is especially useful on sections that we cover on foot. Then you can see exactly whether we are approaching the correct metro entrance for us.

When you first read this manual, it may seem a bit complicated, but in practice everything works quickly and intuitively. After two uses, you will be setting routes and navigating them efficiently and without any major problems. The tool works perfectly and takes into account current traffic, train delays and all the specifics of the metro line organization, which I wrote about earlier.

Similarly, you can use navigation while walking between subsequent points on your trip. Just remember to switch the route setting mode from public transport to walking mode. It is also worth remembering that when walking you do not have to follow the exact shortest path marked by the navigation! Walk however you like, wherever you feel like, and treat the indication on your phone only as information whether you are approaching your destination or maybe you have already taken the wrong direction.
After all, visiting a city is not about walking the shortest route, but about enjoying its atmosphere. Thanks to GPS coordinates, you don't have to worry about getting lost, and at the same time you have unlimited freedom to explore.
In short: click on the coordinates, walk around and check from time to time if you are moving in the right direction. No nerves, no stress, with pleasure. As I said before: simple and devilishly effective!
I assure you that you will quickly appreciate the GPS coordinates I have collected and posted.

WARNING!
Driving around with the navigation on and taking pictures with your phone drains the battery a lot. I don't know of any phone that would last an entire day with that kind of load. Be sure to stock up and take a decent POWER BANK with you! I have already used a dozen or so power banks during my travels and I will say it firmly: it is not worth buying the cheapest devices from unknown companies. Opt for a proven device. In my case, the best so far has been a super-capacity power bank (20 mAh) with fast charging, manufactured by XIAOMI. I can recommend two models with a clear conscience:
- cheaper: XIAOMI Redmi 20000mAh 18W
– more expensive, but absolutely sensational: XIAOMI Mi 20000 mAh 50W
You can find them online without much effort.

New York City Subway Fares

I will not discuss all the ways to pay for the metro because the overwhelming majority ends up using two methods, and one of them will soon start to fade into oblivion.

The first method is MetroCard, and the other that contactless payments (payment card, telephone, watch, etc.) not requiring any additional actions.

A 1-day MetroCard ($7 for the card itself) with unlimited rides costs $33, or the equivalent of 11 rides (one ride costs $3). The MetroCard was a really nice option (especially if you plan to do a lot of sightseeing using the subway), until a completely new and convenient alternative came along.
Recently, the New York subway has introduced an even more convenient mechanism! All you need to do is pay for your ride with the same contactless card (or phone) every time you enter the subway. The subway system constantly counts the number of rides purchased with the same card and after reaching $34 (if they took place within 7 days), it stops charging money and automatically the next fees are $0. So we have exactly the same as when buying an unlimited MetroCard for 7 days, but we don't have to carry and keep an eye on any card in our pockets.
Using this option requires that each person always uses the same, assigned card or telephone.

WARNING!
For those who are already trying to figure out how to get around the system, I say stop trying. The idea that we pay with one card, for example, for four people who pass through the gate one after another, and after three such passes we already have over 11 payments, so for the rest of the week the whole family rides for free ... this idea will not work. After paying with a card and passing through the gate, you can only make another payment with the same card in 15 minutes. In this way, if you wanted to pay with the same card, four people would pass through the gate for 60 minutes 🙂

For more details on metro travel rules (e.g. fees for children, etc.), see: How to get from the airport to New York

New York City Sightseeing Plan

This entry is part of a large guide to New York, which is available at: New York - sightseeing plan [click].
If you are here and have skipped the main post, then definitely I recommend that you read it first. It contains a lot of practical advice related to moving around the city, access to attractions, organizing sightseeing, access to the Internet, etc. It contains additional maps with the location of all attractions, supporting the creation of your own routes and sightseeing plans, and a lot of helpful information allowing for quick orientation in the area.

In the main post you will find plans and descriptions of tours of some of the most interesting neighborhoods in New York:
- Central Manhattan
- Upper Manhattan
- Lower Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty
- Brooklyn (neighborhoods: Brooklyn Heights, Dumbo, Williamsburg)

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